Cropstream is less than a year old but going strong according to Craig Dick, VP Marketing & Growth. He was one of my Golden ZimmComm Microphone interviews during the Agri-Marketing Conference. We got caught up on how the business is doing.
The mobile messaging network built for agriculture. Cropstream helps growers, advisors, seed dealers, retailers and manufacturers connect with each other and communicate better.
To learn more about what’s new with Cropstream listen to my interview with Craig here: #NAMA19 Interview with Craig Dick, Cropstream
Water for Hungry World Important for Bayer
Bayer is the gold sponsor at this week’s 2019 Water for Food Global Conference “Water for a Hungry World: Innovation in Water and Food Security.”
“We believe that innovation, technology, digital tools and partnerships are critical to address the complexity (of water and agriculture issues),” said Bayer Director of Collaborations for Developing Countries Mark Edge.
Edge presented “Sustainable Solutions for Water & Food Security – Business Perspectives” at the opening of the conference Monday. Listen to his remarks and brief interview here:
Presentation by Mark Edge, Bayer
Interview with Mark Edge, Bayer, support of the work of the Institute:
Interview with Mark Edge, Bayer
WATCH THE LIVE STREAM
All the plenary sessions in the auditorium will be steamed live and other sessions will be video recorded and posted on YouTube following the event. The full agenda is available online.
You can find conference photos here: 2019 Water for Food Global Conference
Conference This Week on Water for a Hungry World
The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska (DWFI) kicks off the 2019 Water for Food Global Conference today in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The conference will convene leading international experts and organizations to discuss “Water for a Hungry World: Innovation in Water and Food Security,” focusing on the next generation of research, smart technology, policy development and best practices that are achieving breakthroughs in this vitally important mission. The conference headlines a week of water and food security-related presentations, side events, networking opportunities and tours.
The conference includes farmers and agriculturalists from around the world and DWFI Executive director Peter McCornick says innovation is the key word when it comes to feeding a hungry world using less water resources. “Innovations in technology, innovations in practice, and innovation around policy,” said McCornick.
McCornick talks more about the conference and the work of the institute in this interview: Interview with Peter McCornick, DWFI executive director
Stay tuned for more interviews and news from the conference this week.
Senator Says Trade is Top Concern in Iowa
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and Kinze Manufacturing, for a town hall meeting in Williamsburg, IA Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Iowa equipment manufacturers, farmers, small business owners, and others impacted by tariffs.
The conversation included the impact of steel and aluminum tariffs on Iowa businesses and the state’s economy, as well as the impact of tariffs on China and retaliatory tariffs that have been levied on almost all U.S. agricultural food exports. “The best thing that we can do right now is simply just make sure that we’re getting these trade deals done, make sure those tariffs are coming off, that is the best way to keep our farmers in business,” said Sen. Ernst.
Listen to the Senator’s comments at the event here:
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst at AEM town hall
2019 Can-Am Defender Ag Sales Event
Hey farmers and ranchers, Can-Am is offering approved ag businesses a rebate worth up to $1,500 on select 2019 Can-Am Defender models. The program runs from now until June 30, 2019. Here’s some more information.
Built for a hard day’s work, the Can-Am Defender lineup includes a wide range of packages and engine options to fit the unique needs of workers everywhere. Defender side-by-side vehicles can tow up to 2,500 lbs. They can also handle up to 1,000 lbs in the innovative cargo box, which features cut-outs in the bed for five-gallon buckets to stay in place while driving, anchor points, and a large, easy to use, tailgate.
Farmers and ranchers can make work easier and more comfortable with the wide range of accessories available straight from the factory. Accessories offered by Can-Am include windshields, heaters, bed toolbox, tool holders, additional lighting, snow plows, track kits, and a variety of racks for more organized storage.
Click here to learn more about the U.S.A. Ag Sales Event.
For more information on all Can-Am vehicles, visit www.can-am.brp.com.
Having used these vehicles I can personally attest to their ruggedness and value in the situations you might need them for. I have had the opportunity to test drive them for deer hunting the last two seasons.
Precision Ag Bytes 4/24
- The InfoAg International Conference & Exhibition has announced keynote speakers for this year’s event. Register before June 14 to receive the early bird discount.
- NCGA attended the Coalition for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Spring 2019 meeting in Sacramento, California. The multi-stakeholder coalition sees agricultural lands as playing a key role in building sustainable agriculture and reducing greenhouse gas emission.
- Ag Leader has introduced several new tools to its full-farm connectivity platform, AgFiniti.
- Though phosphorus is an essential nutrient necessary for optimal plant growth and yields, research shows that more than 50 percent of production acres are phosphorus deficient. To find better ways to fully utilize phosphorus, West Central Distribution launched the Phosphorus Project in 2018.
- As planting season begins across the country, the American Seed Trade Association reminds farmers to follow the basic steps for stewardship of treated seed. For more information, visit seed-treatment-guide.com.
- AgLaunch Initiative has been named one of seven new Small Business Administration’s Regional Innovation Clusters, a program built to strengthen opportunities for small businesses within a region focused on a specific industry vertical.
- As the global market demand for almonds continues to increase exponentially, one of the greatest threats to crops is navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella. The addition of a bioinsecticide from Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. to the May and hull split conventional spray programs decreased total nut damage by an additional two percent in extensive 2018 field trials. The addition of Venerate® XC delivered a six-to-one return on investment for growers, while multiple trials show that Venerate® XC added to a conventional spray program improved total performance by 33 percent based on damage reduction and number of eggs and pests present.
- The Soil Health Partnership is launching the Soil Session webinar series to provide updates on SHP’s various programs and research findings. Register here.
Joyn Bio Joins Bayer Facility and Adds Reiter to Board
Ag-biotech company Joyn Bio has signed a long-term lease to locate its plant sciences team within Bayer’s Vegetable Seed Facility in Woodland, California to accelerate ongoing research. In addition, the company has appointed Bayer Head of Research and Development for Crop Science, Dr. Robert Reiter, to its board of directors.
The Joyn R&D team in Boston has developed microbial leads engineered to reduce the amount of traditional chemical fertilizer required for growing crops like corn, wheat and rice. Joyn’s microbes enable plants to partially fulfill their nitrogen needs, offering growers a reliable and sustainable alternative. The Woodland site offers the resources, capacity and scale needed to evaluate microbe performance in commercial crop plants.
The new facility – with 12,500 square-feet of lab, office and greenhouse space – is a significant expansion from Joyn’s current tenancy in the Bayer CoLaborator in West Sacramento. The Woodland location complements Joyn’s existing operations at Ginkgo Bioworks in Boston, where Joyn uses the Ginkgo foundries for biological engineering to develop nitrogen-fixing bacteria based on Bayer’s library of more than 100,000 proprietary microbial strains. Between Northern California and Boston, Joyn is now better equipped to leverage the unique resources of its two parent companies, Bayer and Ginkgo, respectively.
Joyn is pleased to welcome Dr. Reiter as its newest board member. “This technology is expanding the way the industry thinks about sustainable agricultural and the deep expertise Joyn’s team brings to the table, coupled with Bayer’s extensive knowledge in microbial products, gives them a real advantage in this space,” said Reiter. “The need for agricultural practices that are good for both the planet and farmers is coming into clearer focus every day. I’m thrilled to be a part of building those solutions.”
Reiter brings nearly 30 years of experience in discovering, developing and delivering innovative R&D approaches in crop science. As a member of Bayer’s executive leadership team, Reiter oversees the crop science research and development pipeline, leading thousands of scientists in building world-class agricultural solutions with the goal of helping farmers grow enough safe and affordable food while protecting the planet.
Precision Ag Bytes 4/17
- An agricultural industry collaboration led by Growing Matters, a coalition committed to neonicotinoid product stewardship, launched “BeSure!” – a stewardship-awareness campaign to promote best-management practices to farmers and applicators who use neonic products. Powered by Growing Matters along with the American Seed Trade Association and the National Pesticide Safety Education Center, BeSure! is designed to strengthen awareness of stewardship practices to protect bees and other wildlife during the handling, planting and disposal of treated seeds, and from other neonic applications used throughout the growing season.
- Since 1956, when U.S. Olympic track and field star Bob Richards first graced its cover, Wheaties cereal boxes have featured athletic champions who have overcome challenges in pursuit of their personal best. General Mills, the makers of Wheaties, recently featured soil health champion Gabe Brown on a specially prepared box cover. While the company has no current plans to put the mock-up into mass production or distribution, the cover is a special tribute to Brown’s work as a regenerative agricultural advocate and educator. It is also emblematic of the food giant’s renewed commitment to expand the use of soil health-improving practices among General Mills’ cereal grain growers.
- Miravis® Ace fungicide for improved control of Fusarium head blight (head scab) in wheat is now available from Syngenta for the 2019 season. The convenient premix of propiconazole and Adepidyn® fungicide, a new mode of action for head scab, will help wheat growers unlock a completely new way to manage head scab and get ahead of diseases such as Septoria that could be more prevalent if current weather patterns continue.
- TerrAvion, the leading aerial imagery provider for the agricultural industry is excited to partner with Skymatics, to be their aerial imagery provider for agriculture.
- Registration is now open for AgGateway‘s Mid-Year Meeting, June 10-13 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines. Registration is just $250 for both members and non-members. The special hotel rate at Prairie Meadows available until May 22 is $122/night.
- Inari continues to expand its capabilities with exclusive patent licenses to technologies developed at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The technology, Promoter Fine Tuning, helps Inari researchers influence plant architecture and other agricultural traits by managing the extent to which specific existing genes are expressed. This approach — already proven in the field — will initially be used to increase yields and reduce the amount of land required to grow more food.
AMVAC® Cotton Industry Advancement Scholarship
AMVAC Chemical Corporation is now accepting applications for its 2019 Cotton Industry Advancement Scholarship. Seven $2,000 scholarships will be awarded.
Applicants must be nominated by a practicing cotton consultant, have worked for a cotton consultant at some point between 2017 and 2019 and be either a senior in high school or currently enrolled full-time in an undergrad or graduate-level agricultural program at an accredited college or university.
Information on how to nominate a student is available https://www.AMVAC-chemical.com/scholarship. All applications must be completed and submitted by the July 1, 2019, deadline to be considered. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced by August 1, 2019.
Professional Agri-Marketers Honored
The three highest individual awards from the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) were presented last week at the annual Agri-Marketing Conference.
Congratulations to Lynn Huston, John Deere Financial, who was named Agribusiness Leader of the Year. This award, which is NAMA’s highest honor, recognizes outstanding leadership in private, public or academic service and is conferred each year to a senior agribusiness executive who not only exemplifies excellence in agribusiness, but has also made significant contributions to the industry. Huston has been a key contributor to the John Deere Financial team for the past 22 years. During this time, Huston focused on highlighting women in agriculture and the critical role they play in farm operations and in shaping the industry as a whole.
Listen to her remarks here:
NAMA19 Agribusiness Leader Lynn Huston, John Deere Financial
Dean Broadhead of broadhead was named NAMA Marketer of the Year. This award is sponsored by Agri-Marketing magazine. This recognition is the most prestigious honor awarded to an active member of the association and recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the field of agri-marketing. Dean founded broadhead with a unique goal to connect urban and rural. Over the 18 years broadhead has been in business, the agency has been able to work in many different sectors of agriculture and work to bridge the gap between rural and urban audiences.
Listen to Dean’s remarks here:
NAMA19 Marketer award Dean Broadhead
Congratulations to American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvallfor the Ag Association Leader award. Duvall has been president of AFBF since January 2016 after serving for nine years as president of the Georgia Farm Bureau. While he was unable to attend the NAMA conference last week in person, Duvall sent a video message thanking NAMA for the honor.